Submarine salvaging and lifesaving apparatus



gwucsses Dec. 28, 1943. N. g wlcKLow 2,338,067

SUBMARINE SALVAG ING AND LIFE-SAVING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR JTesl'or E. Zlitclrlow I I I BY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR N. E. WICKLOW Filed Feb. 2. 1942 JVsibr E. Zlfiehflow Dec. 28, 1943.

SUBMARINE sALvAeING AND LIFE sAVING KPPARATUS 56 iqzB- WI TNISDIi Patented Dec. 28, 1943 SUBMARINE SALVAGING AND LHFESAVING APPARATUS Nestor Evans Wicklow, New York, N. Y.

Application February 2, 1942, Serial No. 429,244

1 Claim.

This invention relates to apparatus for salvaging sunken vessels or submarine boats and saving the lives of the crews thereof.

The principal object of the invention is theprovision of apparatus of the indicated character which serves as a means to indicate the location of a sunken vessel, and which may be used for grappling the sunken vessel in any depth of water, in any weather, and without the aid of a diver, and then raise or tow the same to a point of safety.

The nature of the invention and its distinguishing features and advantages will appear when the following specification is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a view illustrating a salvaging operation with apparatus of the present invention and in which a surface or mother or rescue ship has grappled a sunken submarine vessel for the purpose of raising the same;

Fig. 2 illustrates the manner in which the hoisting cable with its grapple and guiding means is guided down along a float-sustained cable connected with the sunken submarine vessel;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing the grapple and guiding means of the hoisting cable;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the guiding means or shackle carried by the hoisting cable and engaged with the guiding cable;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the float, its casing and associated grapple-hold;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 7 is a plan View of the parts shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a View which illustrates the grapple engaged with the grapple-hold preparatory to the hoisting or raising operation.

In accordance with the invention, a submarine vessel I5 is equipped with similar gear both at the bow and the stern. The gear includes a guiding cable I I having a float or buoy l2 secured to the outer end. The float I2 will beof such water displacement as to exert sufficient pulling force on the cable to unreel the same and draw partly above and partly below the d8Ck.' The casing It has a flange I! which is riveted or otherwise secured to the deck. At the bottom of the casing I5, centrally thereof, is a stuffing box I3 through which the cable II passes around a sheave I9 supported by brackets 26 secured to the under side of the casing. The casing IB is cylindrical and larger in diameter than the diameter of the float I2 so that water may readily buoy the float I2 upwardly when the cable is released.

In order to hold the reel I3 from turning to keep the cable I I from unwinding until an emergency arises, and to release the reel so that the cable II may be unwound from the reel in response to the action of the float I2, any suitable means may be provided to be operated from various points within the vessel or boat It]. As shown in Fig. 6, by way of example, a ratchet wheel 2| is fast on the shaft I4 and a spring actuated detent 22 coacts with the wheel 2 I. One or more pull cables 23 are connected with the detent 22 to disengage the same from the wheel 2| to release the reel.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the apparatus will include one or more hoists 24 on a surface vessel, such as a mother or rescue ship 25 shown in Fig. 1, which hoists 24 have gear including a hoisting cable 26 with a grapple 21 on the outer end thereof. The grapple 21 embodies a suitable weight 28 and a plurality of hooks 29. Above the grapple 21 is arranged a shackle 30 securely clamped to the cable. The

shackle 38 includes a hinge or pivoted part 35 which may be swung into and out of closed position in order to engage the guiding cable I I. The part 3i is held in closed position by a bolt 32 or the like, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The grapple 21 is adapted to engage a grapple-hold 33 associated with the casing I6. This grapple-hold 33 consists of straps or loops 34 which are connected with the casing I5 and also anchored to the keel of the hull by stays 35 and stays 36 secured as at 31 to the hull of the vessel at the belt-line thereof, as shown in Fig. 8. The stays 35 are connected with the flange I1, whereas the stays 36 are connected with the loops 34.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the two floats are marked by certain indices, such as the letters B and S applied thereto, respectively, to denote a float marked B connected with the bow and a fioat marked S connected with the stern of the vessel Ill. The loops 34 are disposed in such relation to the casing l6 that the float I2 associated therewith may readily rise to the surface when the cable is released. Also these loops 34 are disposed so that as the hoisting cable 26 and the grapple 21 connected therewith are guided down along the cable II, the hooks 29 may readily lay hold of these loops in order to establish a strong connection with the cable 26 with the vessel I!) either fore or aft, or at both points.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that in the event a vessel be sunk, such vessel equipped in the manner hereinabove described may through one or more members of its crew indicate its position by releasing one or both of the reels I3. This will result in each float I2 being buoyed to the surface carrying with it its cable H, which will be unreeled by the action of the float. Each float l2 may be pulled aboard the rescue ship 25 to enable the engagement of the shackle 30 of the hoisting cable 28 of the selected hoist with the guiding cable ll connected with the float 12. The float may then be brought to the surface of the water, as shown in Fig. 2. The shackle 30 will ride or be guided down along the cable H until it reaches a point where the hooks 29 may take hold of the loops 34. An upward pull on the hoisting cable 26 will tell if the hooks 29 have taken hold. The hoisting operation may then be performed for the purpose .of raising the sunken Vessel ID to the surface, or to such an extent that it may be towed to a port of safety.

I claim:

In combination with a submarine vessel, a grapple-hold consisting of straps, stays rigidly connected with certain of the straps and anchored to the keel of the hull of said vessel, the remaining. straps being rigidly connected with said hull at the belt line thereof, said grapple-hold being arranged on the hull at the top thereof.

NESTOR EVANS WICKLOW. 

